British man beats pandemic blues by running a marathon in his backyard

TORONTO --
Gareth Allen set a goal for himself in the fall of 2019 to run a dozen ultramarathon events, many of them in support of charities, throughout 2020.

But with his hometown of Southampton, England, and much of the entire world in the midst of struggling to bring an end to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the long-distance runner has had to change up his plans a bit.

Allen decided to improvise by setting up a mini track in the backyard of his home near England's south coast.